I'm really struggling with a mouse problem in my home. I recently woke up to one squeaking loudly in my room, which scared me so much I thought someone was breaking in! I've been spotting and hearing them constantly, but my parents keep dismissing my concerns. I've tried some standard traps, but they seem to just lick the peanut butter off without getting trapped. They avoid glue traps, and I can't stand the thought of a live mouse suffering on one. My parents refuse to consider getting a cat—though we've had them in the past—because they don't want pets. I'm feeling completely exhausted and at my wit's end. What can I do to finally get rid of these mice?
5 Answers
To keep mice out, focus on sealing any holes you find around the house. They’re using these as entry points, so use steel wool or caulk to fill them up. I turned off all the lights in my basement and looked for light shining in from outside to locate these gaps. Since fixing those, I haven’t seen a mouse scurrying around!
If you prefer a humane approach, humane traps can work, but they require you to relocate the mice a good distance away, or they’ll just come back. I once transported a mouse half a mile, and it returned within a week! There are traps designed to catch multiple mice but be quick about releasing them.
As an exterminator, my first tip is to seal up every entry point in your house. Mice can get in through tiny gaps, so take some time to inspect both the inside and outside of your home. Clear away any food smells and clean up any droppings to help deter them from returning. For trapping, I recommend a bucket trap where peanut butter is smeared at the end of a ramp, making it hard for the mouse to escape. You can use sunflower seeds as extra bait—it’s easy and can catch multiple mice without needing constant resets.
You might not be using the snap traps effectively. Try a tiny dab of peanut butter on a cotton ball instead of just on the trap. This makes them work harder to pull it off and sets off the trap more reliably. Set several traps based on where you've seen the mice roaming.
Honestly, the best solution I've found is getting cats. I have four barn cats, and since I brought them in, the mouse issue disappeared completely. I tried professional pest services before, and they didn’t do the trick, but these cats are natural hunters. If your parents are against pets, maybe you can convince them by pointing out how effective they are!
While cats are helpful, I wouldn't say they're the only solution. We tried exterminators when we had a mouse problem, and none worked as well as just having kittens running around! They caught all the mice.